"SPIDER-MAN WANTED!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Breakdowns: John Romita Sr./Penciller: Jim Mooney/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: After being tricked by the Kingpin, the police believe that Spider-Man is in league with the arch criminal, and have orders to shoot on sight...
Review: This issue is a noticeable downgrade from the first two instalments in the Petrified Tablet Saga, but it's still an enjoyable enough read. It's also the last time we'll see the Kingpin during this storyline, but us Kingpin fans needn't worry; he'll be back before you know it.
The main highlight of the issue for me is the artwork and action. We've been seeing Romita and Mooney turning out what is, to my mind, the best artwork we've yet seen during this run of ASM, and they show no signs of letting up here: characters are well-defined, action is intense and exciting, and the use of deep blacks from Mooney gives every image that much more depth. The scenes of Spider-Man being hunted or shot at by the police are a great deal of fun, especially when they ambush the wall-crawler by throwing a spotlight on him, as per the incredible cover art. There perhaps isn't as much of the police manhunt as I would have liked, especially as both the cover and the end of the previous issue promised something a bit more intense, with Spider-Man saying that he might as well become the menace everyone believes him to be. That doesn't really happen here; it's pretty much business as usual, but occasionally the police turn up to shoot at him. There is a pretty shocking moment at the end of the issue, however, where in a blind rage, Spidey swings down to threaten Jameson, and gives the poor guy a heart attack, leaving the web-head in more hot water than ever; this scene is probably the best one in the issue.
What doesn't work so well are the continued subplots. Anyone who read my previous post will know that I'm not a fan of Gwen starting to think Peter's a coward, and I don't like it any more here, even if Romita and Mooney's art is simply gorgeous during Peter and Gwen's brief tiff on ESU campus. What's even more regrettable is the way the subplot about the student protestors is resolved; after two issues of really solid characterisation and tackling of more complex themes, all it boils down to here is that apparently the dean was on the students' side all along, but just had a hard time convincing the trustees that a low-rent dorm was a good idea, so he felt that the students should carry out their protest. It's not a terrible resolution to the story, but it does feel like a bit of a damp squib of an ending, especially after the previous two issues had built it up to be something more substantial. I also have to wonder about the ethics of Robbie covering the story of his son's arrest; surely there's a conflict of interest there?
To be honest, the main plot of Spider-Man being hunted by the police doesn't work that well either; it's a nice one on paper, but in practice you have to wonder why Spider-Man doesn't just take the tablet back to the exhibition hall and leave it there, possibly with a note? There's even a scene here where a police officer fires on Spidey, but only to bring him down from his web; the officer even says that he doesn't want to harm the wall-crawler, so why doesn't Spidey use this opportunity to explain what's going on, instead of slapping the gun out of the poor guy's hand and swinging off again? It just feels a bit too contrived for me.
But, with that said, I still love the experience of reading this issue, primarily just for the exciting scenarios it presents with the police manhunt, and of course, the continued threat of the Kingpin, who gets some great moments here, such as the way he breaks out of his prison cell simply by working the metal bars loose with his bare hands, not to mention our first brief glimpse of his wife when she turns up to save him from capture at the end of the issue. All in all, it's a highly flawed issue, but one I find entertaining nevertheless, though I think Romita and Mooney are doing most of the heavy lifting with this one.
Rating: 4/5
Next time, with the tablet still in his possession, Spider-Man is attacked by the avenging Quicksilver...
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